Preparing for a strike

Here are some things you can do to personally prepare for a strike:

Stay informed and make sure you know the issues.

• Watch for bulletin board notices in your workplace.

• Visit PSAC’s national and regional websites (www.psac-afpc.com).

• Subscribe to email notice lists.

• Read the bulletins distributed by your bargaining team and keep aware of the status of negotiations

• Participate in mobilization activities and help spread the word in your workplace.

Support your bargaining team by voting “yes” at the strike vote. W ith a strong mandate to strike, the bargaining team has more leverage at the bargaining table.

• Voting “yes” does not necessarily mean a strike will happen.

• Voting “yes” means you are willing to strike if fair ness and justice are at stake.

• Voting “yes” is an act of democratic participation.

• Voting “yes” shows support for union principles.

Get your finances in order and your support networks in place.

• Put money aside to cover expenses in the event of a strike.

• Make arrangements for child care. This could include establishing a coordinated child care plan with other colleagues.

• Make payment arrangements with banks and financial institutions if a strike is imminent. Many of them will accommodate you in this situation. Speak to someone from your union local for sample letters or suggestions on how to approach your bank.

• If you are concerned about serious financial distress in the event of a strike, talk to your strike captain about PSAC’s Hardship Fund.

• Talk to your family and friends. Engage them in support of the union’s objectives and the strike efforts.

• Develop networks with your colleagues to support each other.

Strikes can prove to be stressful situations. But if you honour your fears, you can rely on collective strength to overcome them. Be open to the experience and learn from it as an active participant in social change.

How to build support from members

In unity there is strength. We can move mountains when we’re united and enjoy life –without unity we are victims. Stay united.

– Bill Bailey

Essential Service designation

The law may designate certain workers as performing an “essential service” during a strike. These workers are not permitted to withhold their labour because their services are deemed necessary for the public’s safety. Those with “essential service” designations support the strike by walking the picket line with colleagues outside of work hours and serving on committees. Many also choose to contribute 25 per cent of their pay to the hardship fund – a true act of solidarity that ensures that everyone reaps the benefits of a solid strike.

A union with an active membership wins strikes.

At PSAC, our members are our best resource. We counter the employer’s deep pockets with a strong strike fund, with financial support of other unions and with mobilization strategies that demonstrate the strength of worker power.

We build member support at the beginning of the negotiation process. Just as we organize locals to be effective, we organize strikes to be successful. Great strategies and strong financial support don’t win strikes. Members win strikes.

Member organization –building support from day one

We don’t wait until a strike is called to organize members. The negotiating team will sense where the process is heading. If a confrontation is anticipated, PSAC initiates strike preparations months ahead of time.

When the union is in a strong position to strike, the employer knows it and is motivated to bargain sensibly to avoid a walkout.

Here are some tips to help you organize members in support of a strike:

• Make sure your priority demands are well known.

• Plug members with strike experience into coordinating positions.

• Make information about the strike accessible through paper and electronic bulletins, emails, web postings and phone calls.

• Deliver strike training courses to as many members in as many locations as you can.

• Educate members about strike regulations. Make sure they know what their benefits and obligations will be in the event of a strike.

• Contact every member personally, especially if a strike is imminent.

• Welcome new activists into the planning process. Make sure they are engaged with their local and well-informed about priority issues.

• Organize fun and accessible mobilization actions early on in the process, to engage members and encourage them to show their support. As actions escalate, members will begin to take ownership of the bargaining process.

• Address any rumours or questions immediately

• Organize solidarity events that include family and friends, as well as other unions and community partners.

Mobilizing –One action at a time

Collective actions are the fun and creative part of mobilizing members. They can include anything from wearing red clothes, to phone “call-ins,” to rallies at MPs’ offices.

Collective actions build on one-on-one communication. They give people a chance to do something about the issue they’ve just learned about.

Why collective actions?

1. They allow members to participate directly and collectively in an activity, thereby increasing their feelings of solidarity and camaraderie.

2. They send a visible message to management and/or politicians that workers are united and serious about the issue.

3. Often they provide the union with media coverage that allows us to explain our position to the community and help increase community support.

4 They have an impact on the employer and can result in positive change in the workplace.